Irony (Code Geass Suzaku Kururugi x OC) (Previously named Sekai)
by littlekitty441
Summary: Torn apart by love and loss, soldier Evangeline Valentine must find a way to rescue her unrequited love, Suzaku Kururugi, from the loss of her adopted sister Euphemia li Britannia. Will her own selfishness prevent Evangeline from saving Suzaku from the monster he has become?
1. Prologue

Hey :). Welcome to "Sekai". It's an OC fic (if you couldn't tell), and if you hate OC's or Mary Sues or Gary Stus then you should head over to my profile page to read my OC Promise.

Anyways, since it's the prologue, I thought it would be cool to jump POV's a little bit (while staying in third person), so there are many, many timeskips (to emulate the feel of the anime) cutting to different scenes, characters, or time periods. I won't really derive too much from the anime, and if I do, I'll be talking about it in the intro part or it'll be some SuzakuxOC fun. Well, drop a review down there and have fun :).

* * *

><p>"Another transfer?" Evangeline Valentine wondered aloud. The war, both physical or psychological, between Britannia and Japan took its toll on everyone.<p>

For a girl who just needed a place to live, that toll was working in the military in order to maintain living with a division of the Royal Family. It was a long story (and process). Through a series of adoptions, legalities, and a bit of settling in, the Viceroy's Palace became her second home. For almost a decade of her life, Evie lived as a shadow inside the palace-she wasn't considered royalty but she was almost treated like one, and the public had no idea she existed.

She straightened her green tie and pulled up her long purple hair. Against Euphie's protests, Evangeline was forced to risk her life for the brutal European empire.

This time she had to transfer to the prestigious Ashford Academy to be within a reasonable radius of the base during school hours, since she wasn't important enough to be kept at the base 24/7 and the Palace was too far.

The door shut behind her. Time for school.

* * *

><p>Lelouch blankly stared out into the distance. School was so boring. There were...better things to worry about.<p>

"Hello, students. Today, we have a new transfer student."

"Hmm," Lelouch muttered. A new student?

"Hi, I'm Evangeline Valentine, but call me Evie," the girl replied. It sounded strangely familiar. He glanced to the front of the room. Evie? Evie Valentine? Her hair, her eyes, it was her, all right.

But what was she doing here? Lelouch remembered she had been lodging with Cornelia and Euphemia at the Britannian palace, when he was still living with his father, the king. They used to play together in the gardens before Evie and her "sisters" were shipped off to the Viceroy's Palace in Japan. He hadn't seen her since his mother had been shot down at the palace.

"Lelouch? Is everything all right?" the teacher asked. Evie's eyes flitted to meet Lelouch's, and they widened in surprise.

"Yes, Teacher. I'm sorry," Lelouch muttered.

"I have to talk to her. I have to," Lelouch thought in his mind over and over again.

"How about...next to Nina?" Lelouch glanced at the braided girl. Nina shyly waved after looking Evie up and down with a skeptical eye.

Lelouch watched Evie as she sat down at the desk next to Nina, across the room. Her eyes were fixed on the papers in front of her, never once looking in his direction. Lelouch tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently. He would have to stay awake today. He would have to meet her. He would just have to.

* * *

><p>"My, goodness, Shirley, it's been a whole 'nother day. Is Lelouch giving you the hots again? Don't tell me you wasted the whole period staring at him," the blonde said with exasperation.<p>

"Milly, it's not that easy! You just don't get it! Honestly...I'm trying, I'm honestly trying."

"You've been saying that for the past, what, year? Here. I have some advice for you. Just talk to him. He's just a dude, nothing special. I gotta go to English. Have fun," Milly chimed, not forgetting to send a wink to the still-struggling-to-speak Shirley Fenette.

"I...Milly!"

* * *

><p>The day was halfway over, and Evie was exhausted. The school was gigantic, and she needed the help of Milly, Shirley, and a boy named Rivalz to help her out with finding the classes.<p>

Evie grabbed the gourmet lunch from the counter and made her way over to the lunch tables. One of the perks of being at a rich school was that you got to eat delicious lunch. Evie delicately smelled the dessert.

"Mm...tiramisu..."

Upon looking at the tables, Evie almost cringed. At rich schools, it was eat or be eaten. She bit her lip. No military training could get you through this. She looked for Milly and Shirley. She met smiling green eyes.

Thank goodness.

"Evie! Over here!" Evie made her way over to the pair.

"Thank goodness," Evie sighed in relief. "I usually spend all of my first days of school sitting by myself before I make friends," she impulsively added.

"First days?" Milly asked.

"Um, my family travels a lot," Evie quickly answered and smiled, trying to hide her slight anger at herself. She was being impulsive as always.

Milly pointed across the table. "You know me, Shirley, and Rivalz." Evie nodded. "Over there," Milly giggled, "is Lelouch Lamperlouge."

"What's so funny?" Evie asked. Milly turned to her, to whisper something. Shirley's eyes lit up.

"MILLY! NO!" Milly laughed.

"Oh, please, Shirley. Everyone already knows," she said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, come on, Shirley," Rivalz joked. "It's not really a big deal anymore."

"YES IT IS!"

Meanwhile, Evie was happily eating her lunch. Lelouch Lamperlouge...she saw him in class. But, it was too good to be true. He couldn't be alive. But he looked like the real thing. Those eyes...it had to be him. It just had to. Evie choked on her water.

"Are you ok?" Shirley asked a coughing Evie. She nodded weakly.

"Yeah..."

"I think you'll fit in just fine," Milly grunted as Shirley angrily elbowed her.

* * *

><p>The bell rung, leaving one more period to go. There were 5 minute breaks between periods, and Evie planned to confront that Lelouch once and for all. She saw him leaning on the wall, apparently sleeping.<p>

"Lelouch!" Evie angrily whispered, rousing the boy.

"What?" he groaned. "Evie? What are you doing here?"

"What are YOU doing here? I thought you were dead!"

"Never mind that, just...it's been so long...I've missed you."

"Me too."

* * *

><p>When the day was over, Evie planned to make her way over to the new military base to familiarize herself. She hated others having more knowledge of something when she could as easily obtain the same.<p>

Evie slung her bag over her shoulder and began to walk to the base.

Hopefully it's not too far away, she thought. Ashford is supposed to be close to the base anyways.

Soldier Suzaku Kururugi turned his brunette head towards the girl that was plodding towards the opposite direction where the dorms and apartment complexes were.

"Hey," he remembered, "isn't the base in that direction? Uh oh... Why is a student walking to the base?"

"Hey, miss!"

"Oh, hello, sir. Is anything the matter?" she replied, looking directly into his green eyes.

"Nothing, it's just that the student dormitories are that way. Are you lost?" he weakly grinned.

"Um, no, I don't believe I'm lost," she smiled apprehensively. "But thank you anyways." Evie adjusted the bag on her shoulder and continued to walk.

He continued walking, but then tripped over his own feet.

"AGH!" he yelped, and toppled over. His bag spilled over, revealing the contents. A gleaming military badge tumbled out of the folds of the bag. He turned a bright crimson.

"That's nothing," he laughed nervously and swept his hand quickly over the badge to cover it up. Evie's eyes widened slightly.

"That's weird," she muttered, and dug into her bag. She pulled out another military badge.

"You're with the military too?" Evie asked slowly. He nodded.

"Did your superiors transfer you to a new base?"

"Yeah..."

"Cool. I can show you around."

Evie feigned a cheery smile. Dang. This was exactly what she hated.

"Well, it's time for a proper introduction. I'm Suzaku Kururugi." he held his hand out, resulting in a firm handshake.

"I'm Evangeline Valentine. But call me Evie." Kururugi...the surname of the last Japanese minister...before Britannia took over. Interesting.

"Well, Evie, where're you from? I don't think I've seen you around. Are you from the mainland?"

"Technically," she answered vaguely. "I...was born on the mainland, moved to Japan, went back to the mainland, and now I live here."

"Wow," Suzaku answered, surprised she didn't use the term "Area 11" used to describe what was formerly Japan.

"What about you, Kururugi?" Evie wanted to make sure this guy was who she thought he was.

"Call me Suzaku. We're not in Japan, we don't need to use surnames," Suzaku nervously said.

"Answer the question!"

"I'm from Japan," he answered, hoping that she would accept his being an Eleven.

"Cool."

"I'm glad the base isn't too far," Suzaku told Evie, trying to change the subject. "Usually they post us somewhere miles away."

"But isn't the point of putting us in schools to make us closer to the base?"

"Yeah, but I guess they just enjoy making us walk," Suzaku joked. He turned to smile at Evie. She laughed weakly and looked at the ground.

"Look, there it is. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied, not wanting to admit that it looked the same as all of the other ones.

"What rank are you?" Suzaku asked. "They must have transferred you for a reason."

"I'm a Private right now," she said. "I hope they transferred me to promote me!"

He laughed at her optimism. "I do too."

* * *

><p>"Here's Cecile and Lloyd. They work in the Research and Development sector," Suzaku said as he brought his tour to a close.<p>

"Who's this, Suzaku?" The blue-haired lady asked.

"This is Eva-," Suzaku explained.

Lloyd looked at the soldier. "Will you be of any help, Private Valentine?" Evie turned to Suzaku with wide eyes.

"How did he know-" Evie mouthed silently. Suzaku shrugged.

"Hopefully you are going to be of some use to the Research and Development Team? I've seen your KnightMare simulator scores." he walked away.

"Wow, what a character," Evie whispered, as Cecile's scolding began to fill the hallway.

"That's Lloyd for you," Suzaku said nonchalantly. He turned around so that his back was facing Evie and held his hands up to the ceiling. "Welcome to the main branch of the Britannian Military."

"Geez, Kururugi. You don't have to be such a ham."

And that was the just the beginning.


	2. Chapter 1: Dishonor in Loyalty

-One Year Later-

"Ah, have fun at school," Princess Euphemia li Britannia, or simply Euphie, said, handing Evie a muffin.

"See you later, Euphie," Evie replied. She slung her bag over her shoulder and stuffed the muffin in her mouth. Focused on the light shining through the cracks of the door to the outside, Evie walked through the main hall of the Viceroy's Palace. Her steps echoed uncertainly in the cold hallway.

"To think that my brother Clovis designed this...it's amazing how far he's gone from the person he was," she mused to herself.

Evie's phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Sergeant Valentine, the base will need you early today. You and Corporal Kururugi will recieve your fire teams."

"Cornelia-Commander-you're overseas-how would you have jurisdiction of domestic service...ma'am?"

"Evangeline, don't question my orders. Ok? Good."

And she hung up.

Smiling to herself, Evie waved goodbye and stepped outside the door, hoping that someone would drive her to Ashford, so that she wouldn't have to walk the long miles to school.

"Mr. Roberts!" She shouted as a black car pulled up to the front.

The man rolled the window down and raised an eyebrow. "Your Majesty?"

Evie shook her head. "Nothing. I just thought that I would have to walk to school."

"It's my duty to serve."

"Thanks."

"Mhm."

Evie stared out of the window, a bit disappointed that Suzaku didn't offer to walk her to school this morning. Ever since she made him take the tests required to become a Part-Time Student, like her, they had usually walked to school together.

She stared at the shiny, nondescript buildings out her window, tracing the metal skyline with her eyes. After a short while, the sparkling Ashford Academy came into view and the car came to a stop. "Thanks again."

"Oh, hey, Evie!" Suzaku came running up to the car. He had passed the tests required to become a Part-Time Student, like Evie, and attended school in the morning.

"Hey," she responded.

"Sorry I didn't stop by the palace. I overslept and I didn't have the time to walk over."

"It's fine," Evie replied. "Did you do the chemistry homework?" Evie asked while walking to the Student Council room with Suzaku.

"Yeah, it was easy. Did you not do it?"

"Ugh, it was hard!" she groaned.

"Don't even ask," he laughed as he pulled out a slightly crumpled sheet of paper from his bag.

"Thanks." She began to furiously scribble on her homework, balancing the two papers on a textbook she had pulled out of her bag.

"Oh, by the way, Cornelia said that she might pull us out of school early. There's been some terrorist activity. I might get to lead a fire team," Evie explained.

Suzaku laughed. "I still think it's unfair that she promoted you and not me just because I'm an Honorary Britannian."

"Well, I can't help it that I'm the good child," Evie joked. "But it is true. A lot of Britannians still think that the Japanese are bad even though they didn't do anything wrong. It's ok. She'll understand in due time."

"I hope so. I'm happy for you, but do you know how strange it would be for you to be my superior?"

"Strange? More like fun to me," she said with a hint of mischief.

Suzaku groaned. "That was what I was afraid of."

Evie grinned. "Be afraid." She laughed. "I'm just kidding, Kururugi. Really!"

"Hey!" A voice called.

"Hi Milly," Suzaku replied.

"What're you two lovebirds doing here so early?"

Evie and Suzaku flushed a deep red.

"That's not-"

"No-"

"Of course not-"

"MILLY!"

"We're just friends, Milly. Just like you and Rivalz," Evie coyly retorted, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Don't get saucy!" the blonde laughed. "Answer the question!"

"Evie has to do her chem homework."

"Aah, skipping the chem homework? Seems a bit fishy..." Milly laughed. "I'm just kidding. At least you two are on better terms with each other than SHIRLEY over here..."

"Milly, it needs time! You can't rush things like this!" Shirley cried.

"You've been saying that for the past-"

_Ring Ring Ring_

"Sorry," Evie muttered as she pulled out her phone. "Looks like Cornelia wasn't kidding."

"Who?"

"Milly, we gotta go." Milly raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, I'll just tell the teachers you're off sick."

"Bye," Suzaku said, running off with his bags.

* * *

><p>"Sergeant Valentine reporting for duty."<p>

"Corporal Kururugi reporting for duty."

"Sergeant, Corporal, your fire teams are there. Lead with honor and respect," one of the generals said.

"Sir, yes sir."

The shrill sound of a whistle stopped all further conversation.

"Soldiers! A truck carrying poison gas has been stolen from us by terrorists. Recover it at all costs!" Lines of soldiers donned in the same uniforms raised their hands in salute.

"YES MY LORD."

Evie and Suzaku followed their commander, who in turn, ushered them inside a military truck. The two sat down next to each other, both on edge. The dim lights cast ominous shadows inside the dread-colored truck. The harsh, stark lines of the metal interior bounced before Evie's eyes as the truck rattled against the unpaved roads.

"Kururugi, are you nervous?" Evie asked in a smaller than usual voice.

"A little. But don't worry. I know we'll do fine."

"Ok."

When the truck came to a stop, every soul inside that vehicle hopped out and into the ghetto. Whatever sunlight there was outside couldn't penetrate the rugged stone surrounding the officers. The air smelled of gasoline and death, and carried a certain thick, molasses heaviness.

"You have the gas masks, right?" Evie asked. "I have the gun."

"Got it, Evie. I'll scout and you can cover."

"Teams!" Evie shouted. "Corporal Kururugi's team-go scout for any remaining terrorists. My team-cover the Corporal and I as we investigate the scene. Move out!"

The two jogged towards a a truck that had crashed into a concrete wall. It was steaming and sputtering, making it evident that the crash had happened not too long ago.

"You going in, Kururugi?"

"Yeah. I saw a guy in the truck."

"Be careful." Suzaku dashed into the back of the truck through a gaping hole in the side. Evie waited with bated breath as the silence clung to the air.

A muffled "Lelouch?!" came from inside the vehicle.

"Lelouch?" Evie blurted. She ran inside the truck and found the bewildered Lelouch and Suzaku.

"What are you doing here?" Suzaku asked.

Before Lelouch could reply- "Shit!" Lelouch tripped over his own feet and activated something in the capsule, causing it to open. Suzaku flung his gas mask on Lelouch instinctively. The back of the truck flooded with thick, white fog.

"Suzaku!" Evie cried. When the gas cleared, everyone realized that there was no poison. Instead, there was a green-haired girl inside, restrained and gagged.

"What the hell?" Evie exclaimed. The girl remained stationary and silent.

"Um, that's not poison gas," Suzaku nervously said. The three stepped outside the truck in apprehension after hearing the voices of their superiors call for them.

"Sergeant Valentine! You with the gun! Shoot the terrorist!"

"He's not a terrorist! He's just a teenager trying to help the wounded!" Evie shouted.

"This is a direct order! Shoot the terrorist or I'll shoot you!" Evie stood with her gun ready, shaking. She just couldn't shoot her friend...

"I can't shoot him for protecting the innocent!" she cried.

"Don't talk back to me! Sergeant, shoot the terrorist or I shoot this infidel Eleven that calls himself a Britannian!" the superior shouted in contempt. He pointed the gun at Suzaku, who was facing away from him. The shot would obliterate his spine and cripple him for life.

"Shit," the girl cursed under her breath.

Her childhood friend or her best friend?

"Hey, if you're going to shoot someone, wouldn't you shoot me for disregarding orders?" Evie threw her gun on the floor.

"In fact, I just may do that," the man replied while the two boys looked at Evie in horror. He swiveled his arm over and pointed the gun at Evie.

He raised his gun without a thought and pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Suzaku stepped in front of the gun, getting shot in the small of his back.

"SUZAKU!"


	3. Chapter 2: Once in a Lifetime

"SUZAKU!" Evie and Lelouch screamed. Evie rushed over to the fallen officer and checked for blood loss. There was none.

"He's ok," Evie mouthed to Lelouch. Suzaku's fire team then ran into the area, presumablely

"I give you permission to leave. Only because of medical reasons," another superior said, glaring at the guilty superior in irritation.

"Team, help me," Evie called. Evie's team rushed over to help the fallen Corporal and carried him back to the large trailers outside Shinjuku Ghetto.

"I will have you demoted for not following orders you know," the superior with the gun shouted to Evie.

"Sir, yes, sir," Evie replied fakely.

"Sergeant, would you like us to bring him to the medics while you report to the other superiors?" a soldier asked.

"That would be much appreciated. Thank you." Evie walked, heavy-hearted, through the stone labyrinth to the military trailers parked outside the ghetto.

Evie slowly walked into the personel trailer-truck, still worried about Suzaku's condition. Even though it wasn't technically her fault, she still felt heavily responsible. But that girl...she was the interesting part...

She knocked on the door, then opened it apprehensively at no response, only to find a group of high-ranked officers standing around a table.

"What the hell? Where are our Knightmares? Our officers?" Worried and enraged voices came from the huddled mass.

"Perhaps this is not a good time," Evie thought, and left the truck to go investigate around in the ghetto.

* * *

><p>"Oh my god," she whispered.<p>

Bodies were strewn across the stone floor, and blood was everywhere. Lelouch and the girl were gone. KnightMares were waging war on each other in the city.

It looked like some mass murder, or a monster attack from the movies. Everyone was dead. Every single person.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, what happened?" Suzaku uneasily sat up on the stiff bed after just regaining consciousness.<p>

"You got shot. End of story." Lloyd replied.

"This stopped the bullet from entering." Cecile handed Suzaku a cracked pocket watch. His eyes darkened.

"I see," Suzaku replied, taking the object from her. "Where's Evie?"

"I don't know," Lloyd replied. "Haven't seen her yet."

"I see." He made a struggle to get off of the table.

"Maybe you should rest some more," Cecile offered. After a long pause, Suzaku nodded.

"Alright."

* * *

><p>"Major! Colonel! Sir!"<p>

"What, Sergeant Valentine? You have no right barging in on us like that."

"Sir, all the soldiers in the ghetto are dead! All of them!"

One of them turned uneasily to the others. "Even your teams?"

"No. Corporal Kururugi's and my fire teams were ordered to give the Corporal medical attention, sir."

The Major turned to face Evie. "Sergeant. I need to speak with you in private."

"Sir yes sir!"

* * *

><p>"Sergeant. I heard about what happened in the ghetto."<p>

"Sir, what do you mean?"

"The blatant disregard of a direct order."

"Sir, the man goes to my school! I've known him since he was a kid! He's not a terrorist!" Evie said, trying to control her voice.

"You are now demoted to Corporal. And Corporal Kururugi is demoted to Private 1st Class. End of discussion."

"Sir, yes, sir," she replied quietly, as the Major left the room.

* * *

><p>"Kururugi! Are you ok?" Evie exclaimed as she burst through the door of the Research and Development truck, which was the closest vehicle available for medical attention. Neither Evie nor Suzaku had been summoned yet by the department, despite receiving several hints.<p>

"Um, yeah," Suzaku stood up from the bed, smiling nervously. She rushed to hug him, but stopped in her tracks after realizing that he was bandaged up and had no shirt on.

"Thank goodness," Evie said nervously, pink dusting her cheeks. How...what stopped the shot?" Suzaku held up a broken pocket watch. Evie widened her eyes and nodded.

"Anyways, guess what, Kururugi?"

"What?"

"We got demoted. One rank each."

"What?!" Suzaku groaned. "Back to a Private!"

Lloyd laughed. "Well, that's too bad..." He turned around in his swivel chair. "Come to think of it...Private Kururugi, would you like to pilot a KnightMare out there? The head guys up there have reported back, and it's a jungle out there. Prince Clovis is in a pickle."

"What?! HE's INJURED! I'm not!" Evie protested while pointing to Suzaku. Then she covered her mouth and cleared her throat. "Um-I mean, the Private is injured and I'm not. It would be counterintuitive to send an injured soldier out there, sir."

"That's the point-if anything happens to him, he's injured anyways. We don't need two injured people in the end." Lloyd replied.

"I wanna pilot one though," Evie whined, while Suzaku stared blankly at the blue-haired man.

"It's an EXPERIMENTAL frame, Corporal!" Lloyd groaned.

"Don't worry, Corporal," Cecile reassured. "Your birthday is coming up anyways. We might have a little surprise for you. We've recently sent in the requests for yours and Suzaku's transfers to the Research and Development sector."

"Granted that our finances hold up," Lloyd mused. "We spent most of our budget on Lancelot...Oh...but then again, Corporal, your KnightMare really isn't under the R & D sector anyways."

"Huh?" Evie asked.

"Lancelot?" Suzaku asked.

"The frame," Lloyd replied. He tossed Suzaku a key.

* * *

><p>A gigantic clothed figure stood before the four.<p>

"Wow..."

"Congratulations, the only Knightmare of its kind awaits you. Once you take control of this big beauty, everything will change: you and your world," Lloyd exclaimed.

"Whether you want it to or not." Cecile finished.

"Right," Suzaku said, dressed in his pilot suit. Evie pouted in the corner.

"Have fun, Kururugi." She mumbled.


	4. Chapter 3: Testing the Waters

"Launch in ten, nine..." Cecile started, while Evie sat by the controls, aimlessly twiddling her thumbs.

"Don't be such a square," Lloyd scolded the girl. "Cecile has spoiled you two far too much in this past hour."

"Lancelot LAUNCH!" The video monitor showed the green and white KnightMare spiraling into the battlefield.

"94% synchronization! Incredible!" Evie frowned a little. All she could think about was if she was in there, she would get 95%.

"Corporal, I have a surprise for you," Lloyd called from the warehouse. Her eyes lit up.

"Coming!"

Upon arriving at the warehouse, Lloyd threw her a key.

"There's an amazing new prototype out there. It was designed by Prince Schneizel, whom you probably know as your brother."

"Half-" Evie began to say, but bit her tongue quickly.

"I thought so," Lloyd said. "Anyways, you can't use it until he deems it ready."

"Then what is this key for?"

"A Sutherland. You have to prove both me and him that you can handle such a machine."

* * *

><p>"Man, this guy is just nuts," Suzaku muttered to himself after taking down two enemy Sutherlands. "Enemies are popping up out of nowhere...with absolutely brilliant, but erratic patterns..."<p>

The monitor on the Lancelot suddenly flashed to life.

"Hey, Kururugi!"

"Oh, Evie! Hey! Where are you?" The interior of the mecha Evie was in looked somewhat familiar...A Sutherland?

Just then, two enemy mechas were pierced by lances, each to the stomach, rendering each Knightmare useless.

"Right over here. It's great to finally be piloting a mecha, huh, Kururugi?"

"Evie, we have to go find the guy behind all this. Follow me, I think I saw him." She nodded and followed the Lancelot into the battlefield.  
>The Lancelot was moving with incredible speed and agility, a trademark of its unique make. Even though the mass-produced Sutherland was a bit slower, Evie was trying her best to make the most out of the controls. Once the enemies had been cleared, Suzaku spoke again.<p>

"The terrorist is over there, see him?"

"Got it. Want me to attack from behind?"

"Yeah. We'll try and get him surrounded."

Evie swiveled around and dashed to the rear of the enemy's KnightMare. She thrust the mecha's lance out towards the enemy. He was slow to respond, but stopped Evie's blow inches from his frame. They began sparring, and the battle became a duel of frame strengths and endurance.

Evie smiled to herself. He wouldn't see this coming. She activated the Slash Harkens located closest to the ground, aiming straight for the other frame's ankles.

They shot out, finding their target, causing the other KnightMare to stumble. Taking advantage of his struggle, she pointed her lance at the KnightMare's head.

"Touche."

Evie was planning to take the final strike, when she heard a noise behind her. Whipping her lance to the other side, she just barely stopped another Sutherland's lance from penetrating the exterior armor of her frame.

"Aw, man," Evie groaned.

"Evie, are you ok?" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah, but he's escaping! I'll hold this guy off, you go get him!"

Suzaku looked worried, but agreed. "Alright."

Evie tangled with the other Sutherland. This guy wasn't too skilled, but he was determined as hell to stop her.

The opposing frame continued to fire its gun at Evie's Sutherland while she navigated the Landspinners to dodge them. As the enemy drained its ammo, Evie decided to make a move. She activated the Slash Harkens to whip around the enemy's head to distract him. Relying too much on impulse, the Knightmare turned around, only to be greeted by nothing. Evie quickly sliced the armor of her pursuer with her lance.

Done and done.

* * *

><p>"I must say, I'm quite pleased with both of your performances," Lloyd told the two.<p>

"Thank you," they replied in unison.

"Well, it looks like all is over and finished with. You two can go home now," Cecile told the two.

"Thanks so much for everything," Suzaku and Evie told the mechanic and his assistant as they left the building.

"That was fun, wasn't it, Evie? I...I just feel so grateful that I'm able to pilot such an amazing frame. And you too, I think, will be able to pilot one too. I mean, you were pretty good out there," Suzaku told his friend with a bright smile.

Trying to ignore the rising blush on her cheeks, Evie answered, "Yeah, Lloyd says that I'll be able to pilot a prototype made by my brother. And, thanks, Kururugi."

"No problem." A sleek car pulled up to the side of the road.

"Looks like my ride is here, Kururugi. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Evie. Have a good night." Suzaku hugged her quickly, then released her to the waiting car.

"Bye, Kururugi!"

* * *

><p>As Suzaku's waving hand disappeared further and further into the distance, Evie sighed.<p>

"You'll never know how much it hurts to have been in love with you for this long...Suzaku..."


	5. Chapter 4: Cause Unknown

"Wow! I heard about what happened, Evie! Congratulations!" a smiling Euphie greeted Evie.

"You heard?"

"Of course I did, Evie. You can't keep secrets from me forever, Evie. You know that!"

Evie sat on Euphie's bed, combing Euphie's hair while the both of them talked about their day.

"Evie, it's so boring here at home all the time. You're lucky that you get to go to school and be a soldier," Euphie whined.

"Euphie, you know very well that being a soldier is really hard work. Princesses aren't cut out for that kind of stuff."

"I know-"

Someone was frantically knocking at the door.

"Come in," Euphie called.

Darlton stood in the doorway, eyes wide.

"Your Highnesses, Prince Clovis is dead."

Evie dropped the brush.

"Very funny, Commander," Euphie said, laughing.

"I don't think he's kidding," Evie told the princess.

"What?"

"Come with me, you two."

* * *

><p>Everyone in the Viceroy's Palace was gathered around the bloodstained throne, mourning the loss of their prince.<p>

Euphie's, Cornelia's, and Evie's heads were hung in sorrow. Clovis was their brother-who would ever do something like this?

But the more important question was how someone was able to do it.

Darlton and Guilford were busy scouring the perimeters and combing through their layers of security. With their security, an assassination would be virtually impossible. What had gone wrong?

* * *

><p>No one could sleep that night.<p>

Evie and Euphie stayed up all night, holding each other and crying. Even if Clovis wasn't their full brother, or in Evie's case, brother at all, they were siblings, if not through blood, then through bond.

The next day, Evie didn't go to school.

The Viceroy's Palace was a flurry of people, buzzing around the prince's death. The news had not yet been released to the public, so only close relatives were visiting. The army was going through some serious trouble, looking for any snitches or spies. Luckily, Evie was spared from the trouble because she had Euphie to vouch for her.

Evie wasn't sure whether she should call Suzaku and tell him about the news, or that she wasn't coming to school, but it didn't matter because she had misplaced her phone somewhere.

When she had finally found it, there was a voicemail on it from Suzaku.

"Hey, Evie! I thought that this morning, I could pick you up and we could walk to school together. If we're early enough, we can get crepes and still be early for first period. Sound good? See ya!"

She smiled at the sound of his voice at such a bleak time, but she knew she wasn't going to get to walk to school with him. The voicemail was from an hour ago; he probably was close to the Palace, if not already there. Security was probably tight, and he would have an tough time getting to the front door.

Knocking interrupted Evie's thoughts. Euphie ran over to where Evie was.

"Who is it, Evie?"

"Probably Kururugi. He wants to walk to school with me and go try some crepes at the crepe stand."

"Oh! Lucky..."

Before Evie could answer, the door opened, and Suzaku stood in the courtyard, surrounded by guards, ten feet away from the palace doors.

"Hey, Evie! Let's go-" he started to shout before a man wearing a stiff military outfit approached him.

"Private Suzaku Kururugi, you are under arrest for the murder of Prince Clovis. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"What?" Evie cried in dismay as Suzaku got dragged out of the courtyard and into the open arms of the fickle court of law.

* * *

><p>"That's not fair! He couldn't have murdered Clovis! It would have taken him at least an hour to walk to the Viceroy's Palace, nevertheless break through security and get to Clovis!" Evie protested for the thousandth time.<p>

"Evie, we know. I...I really don't know why they arrested Suzaku," Euphie said. "Maybe you can go talk to Guilford or Darlton. I'm really sorry. It's not right for them to arrest someone like that. "

"They're not here though, Euphie! They're busy at the military base!"

"I'm sure no one will mind if you sneak off to the base. Don't worry, I'll cover up for you. Ok?" Euphie winked.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>"So if Kururugi really is guilty, he can never pilot the Lancelot again?" Evie asked.<p>

"What a shame," Lloyd said.

"Jeremiah has his heart set on the fact that all Elevens are traitors. I don't think that the Honorary Britannian program will be in order anymore if Suzaku is guilty," Cecile explained. "It's really not fair. Suzaku isn't guilty, I'm sure that they're just using him to prove a point."

"I'm going to visit him. May be the last time any of us see him again. Anybody with me?" Lloyd offered.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kururugi." Suzaku was covered in bruises and scratches, no doubt from the harsh prison guards and escorts.<p>

"Evie! You came!"

Evie sat down in front of the glass blocking the two.

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, your brother passed away, and you have school, and..."

"I would miss the world for you, Kururugi. You know that very well." Evie smiled to mask her sadness. "If I were in prison, what would you do?"

He smiled weakly. "Do nothing that day except sit where you're sitting right now."

"See? And when you get out, we can have crepes like you promised!"

"If I get out..."

"Look, I'm sure that whoever shot my brother left behind something. Everyone knows you're not guilty. Something will turn up."

"This court system...if this is how the world works, then I don't regret leaving it."

Evie paused for a second to think of a response. "There will always be evil, Kururugi. In high places or low places or anywhere in between. No matter how hard we try, we can never get rid of evil. Hating doesn't change a thing."

"I guess you're right, Evie," he said, though the look on his face betrayed his words. "This might be the last time we see each other." Suzaku smiled tearfully.

"Don't say that..."

Evie attended Suzaku's procession that evening. Though she wasn't planning to get a good view, Cornelia and her sister made arrangements for Evie to be in the front row.  
>She watched the KnightMares "escort" Suzaku down the road, foot by futile foot, when, suddenly, Clovis's car pulled up behind the procession. Evie watched with wide eyes as it approached the frames ahead.<p>

"I am Zero," a voice boomed from the car.

Suddenly, in a flash of light, the top of the vehicle opened, and revealed a man, masked in black, standing. With a flourish, he revealed the container that supposedly held poison gas.

Gasps rung out among the crowd, each and every attendee in dismay.

"And all of you here are held hostage," he finished.

Evie began to panic, until she remembered that no one ever knew the contents of that capsule-except her, Suzaku, and Lelouch-and it wasn't the poison gas that everyone thought it was.

"I-not Suzaku Kururugi-killed Prince Clovis! I am responsible for his death." Suzaku stared blankly at the terrorist, while Evie looked at him in mixed awe and horror.

"I will trade this man for the gas."

"Of course not," Jeremiah replied. "So leave now, 'Zero'," he mocked. Zero moved closer to the man and whispered something to him, causing him to grimace.

"I order you to release this man," Zero demanded. And through some miracle, Jeremiah complied.

"What?"

"How?"

"Why?"

The crowd was a mess. The reporters were in a crazed frenzy, and the escorts were beside themselves.

Suzaku's bonds were released, and he was free. And in no time at all, the "poison gas" was triggered, and Zero and Suzaku were gone.

* * *

><p>Evie tried for the absolute last time calling Suzaku to find out where the hell Zero had taken him.<p>

"It's no use," she groaned, and threw her phone on the bed, when it suddenly started ringing.

"Kururugi! Where are you?"

"I'm back home."

"Where did Zero take you?"

"He took me to his headquarters. Look, he told me a lot of weird stuff. Meet me at the military base, and I''ll tell you what's happened. And Lloyd and Cecile have a surprise for you."

And he hung up.


	6. Chapter 5: An Invitation

When Evie arrived at the base, Suzaku was standing at the front, waiting for her.

"Suzaku! I'm so glad you're ok!" Evie exclaimed, forgetting her pet name for her friend. He laughed as she ran into his arms.

"Suzaku? You've never called me that before. Never mind that. Come inside, I have a lot to tell you."

"He asked you to join him? You? Join a terrorist group?"

"Yeah, I know. He told me that the Black Knights protect the weak and target the bullies. That if you don't have power, you should come to them, and if you have power, fear them. But all they really care about is results. I think that those flashy sentences are a ploy to get more people on their side."

"Protectors of the weak...I...I don't know how to explain it, but I think I believe in that, too."

"Evie, we can protect the weak and all by changing this system from the inside."

"By supporting one big bully? No matter what, Kururugi, which side you're on, people will get hurt. Britannia hurts Japanese every single day. The Black Knights will hurt their share of people too."

"I think that by using less resistance, we can hurt less people."

"True. But how will you change it from the inside? You can't overthrow the emperor, and he has complete control over everything."

"I don't know. Anything other than joining any terrorist group."

"Corporal! Private!" Lloyd's voice called from the main room.

"Yes?"

"Corporal, Prince Schneizel has a new Knightmare named Gawain in development. It may be a little unsuited for you, but we plan on making adjustments with the little budget money we have left."

"Unsuited?" Evie asked.

"Yes," Cecile said. "It is a very early prototype, but this system is fairly large, with a two seater cockpit, and no FactSpheres."

Evie's face fell.

"But, after the Prince and I saw your performance, we both decided that you are not fit to pilot the prototype."

"What? She was amazing out there!" Suzaku defended. "She has every right to be able to pilot the prototype."

"Don't interrupt me, Private. The Corporal is not fit to pilot this particular prototype. Schneizel and I have decided to develop a customized version of his prototype, just for you. But it won't be ready until later."

Evie was silent for a short period of time. "Oh...Wow...I-Thank you..." Her cheeks began flushing in excitement.

"Don't thank me, thank your brother. You two should go home-it's late." Suzaku and Evie waved goodbye and left the building together.

"Bye, Kururugi! Don't kill yourself!" He laughed.

"Well, I just may. I'm going to my court-martial tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Rules are put in place for a reason. I'll follow them until I die."

"Kururugi, sometimes I really don't get you."

"I can say the same about you," he replied. "Anyways, see you later, Evie. Call me if you're coming tomorrow."

"Bye! I'll try and come." He pulled her into a quick hug. Evie sighed happily. Though Suzaku and she claimed to be just friends, Evie secretly hoped he felt something more than that. But if this was the extent of their relationship, Evie was happy to settle for heartfelt hugs.

* * *

><p>Later, at the palace, Evie found herself crashing on her bed, thinking of Suzaku.<p>

When Evie's phone rang, she picked it up in hopes that it would be Suzaku. But it was Lelouch.

Evie answered. "Hey, Lelouch. What's up?"

"Evie, I'm sorry for calling this late, but tomorrow, would you mind visiting me and Nunnally at Ashford Academy? She hasn't seen you in a long while, and just a couple of hours ago, she was talking about you."

"Aww, Nana misses me? Ok. I'll come."

"Is Suzaku attending his court-martial?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Are you invited?"

"No."

"Can you come over then? That's the only time I have free tomorrow, because I have classes."

"Yeah, sure. Well, I'll see you then. Bye!"

"Bye."

Evie tried not to feel bad about missing Suzaku's court-martial, but it wasn't her fault, after all. Only the elite got to attend, and even though Euphie offered to get her a seat, Evie was busy. Though her heart said otherwise, Evie knew that the court-martial was something she had to miss. She had someone to see, after all.

Her childhood friend and his adorable little sister.


	7. Chapter 6: The Pain of Memories

This chapter's a bit different from the anime. I decided to do the date thing because I really had no idea why Euphie was playing around on the roof, and I didn't care for that scene anyways. Whatever. It's fun to sometimes go off course and do a little freestyle.

Sorry for the long chapter-but its a fun chapter.

* * *

><p>Euphie attended Suzaku's court-martial without Evie that day, who had made her way to Lelouch's place at Ashford Academy.<p>

(begin flashback)

_"Why're you attending the court-martial?" Evie asked, trying not to get too protective over her friend. "You don't even know him."_

_"He seems like an upstanding citizen. Mr. Kururugi believes in justice, and I do too."_

_"Suit yourself," Evie said, shrugging. What could go wrong?_

(end)

She had the understanding that Milly, the headmaster's granddaughter, knew that Lelouch had been exiled from the palace after his mother was killed, and had offered him a place at the school.

She arrived at the building and was promptly greeted by Lelouch.

"It's been so long since I've seen Nana," Evie told Lelouch. "How's she doing?"

"She's been fine, even after the incident." Lelouch's eyes darkened slightly. Evie hadn't seen Nunnally after she had been blinded and crippled by her mother's assailants.

"Oh, Lelouch, now isn't the time to get all mopey. The past is the past, and we live in the present. Lighten up!" Evie said in an attempt to ease her own worry.

He smiled. "Ok, ok." he opened the door to his and Nunnally's "home." "Sis, I have a surprise for you. Guess who it is," Lelouch told Nunnally.

Evie walked over and kneeled down to look at Nunnally. "Guess who, Nana?"

"Evie?" Nunnally whispered. Tears began leaking out of her closed eyes. "Evie!" Evie wrapped her arms around the young girl, who did so in return. "I missed you, Evie!"

"Me too."

"Sayoko has been showing us how to make origami. Look, Evie, it's a crane! Do you know how to make origami?"

"Mhm. I remember how to make a frog and a flower. That's pretty much it." Evie told the girl.

"Can you make a frog jumping on a lily pad?"

"Yeah...just wait a sec...Huh. We ran out of green paper," Evie muttered.

"There's more in the other room. Let me get it," Nunnally said.

"No, it's fine, Nunnally. I'll go find it, 'kay?"

"Thanks, Evie...But won't you get lost? You always get lost," Nunnally giggled.

"I'll go with her, Nunnally," Lelouch said.

"Hey, do I always get lost? I mean, honestly!"

"Well..." Lelouch said.

(begin flashback)

_"Two...One! Ready or not, here I come!" Euphie shouted from behind a tree. Evie, Lelouch, Nunnally, Euphie, Cornelia, and Clovis were all playing hide and seek in the Imperial Palace's expansive gardens. Evie made sure no one would find her, she was hiding behind a thick cluster of trees far in the garden._

_Evie lost track of time. No one had found her yet._

_It was now high-noon and Evie decided that she was lost in the small forest. She called for help._

_"Hello! Euphie! Cornelia! Lelouch! Clovis! Nunnally!"_

_"There you are!" Euphie cried. "I found you, Evie!" Euphie pulled Evie into a hug. "We thought you were lost!"_

_"I think I was lost..."_

_Evie and Lelouch were resting under a shady tree while the others continued their game. Evie was tired from a little heat exhaustion, and Lelouch was just tired._

_"Hey, Lelouch," Evie told the boy laying next to her._

_"What?"_

_"There are so many clouds in the sky. Isn't it pretty?"_

_"They're just clouds."_

_"Nuh uh. My mom told me that clouds are like the world. It's always changing, and you can never control how it changes. But every once in a while, you see a familiar face. They're the white puffy ones. And they remind us of the past." She pointed to the sky. "Like that one."_

_Lelouch stared at the sky, and the slow-moving clouds. "I guess so, huh?"_  
>(end)<p>

He remembered how she said the word 'world.' She made it sound big and wonderful and fascinating. Like the Japanese word for it...sekai.

"Earth to Lelouch..." Evie waved her hand in front of Lelouch.

"Yeah...what?"

"Hey, I bet I know what you're thinking about..."

"What?"

She pointed out the window and smiled. "See any familiar faces? Ha, I remember that like it was yesterday. Good times, huh?"

* * *

><p>"There! Isn't it nice, Sayoko? Evie made it for me." A green frog rested on a green lily-pad adorned with a pink flower.<p>

"Yes, it's beautiful. Evie made it?" Sayoko looked at the Britannian.

"Arigato, Sayoko-san (Thank you, Sayoko)." Evie replied, causing the maid to smile.

"Dou itashimashite (You're welcome)."

While Nunnally admired the origami with Sayoko, Lelouch and Evie leaned on the back wall, next to each other.

"Evie...I'm sorry I didn't tell you before this...and it's really late, but...I'm sorry about your parents. I only learned about them not too long ago."

"My parents? What about them?"

"I'm sorry about what happened. Didn't they pass during a KnightMare invasion?"

Evie laughed coldly. "Is that what they tell you?"

"It's not true?" Lelouch asked quietly.

"Of course not. My family survived after Britannia decided to invade our little village in Japan. We had moved there when I was about five or six. My family loved the scenery and the culture bounds more than Britannia, and apparently, so did this small town in Japan. The mayor of the city was a man my parents had known for years. Anyways, he lost his whole family: his mother, wife, and daughter. You could imagine how heart-broken he was." Instead of adopting the cold tone she had earlier, Evie now sounded a little sad.

"But instead of resigning to his fate, like the rest of the civilians, he was so full of hate and resentment for the country he used to call his own. He wanted to storm the Britannian stronghold not too far from the city. He summoned all of the citizens and rallied up all of their hate-enough so that they were ready to strike. All of them.

"So the mayor told my parents that all of the promises he made to the people, about standing by their side no matter what, were all rubbish. He was planning to abandon his men to go off on some mission to storm the KnightMare storage locker and murder and destroy all he could. He just needed the townspeople to break through the first layers of security in front of the stronghold.  
>"But my parents disagreed. They didn't want to take part in such a mass genocide. They knew that all of the villagers would die. My parents were willing to die for their country. But they wouldn't die for a mass revenge scheme disguised as a rebellion. They had a big fight, and eventually my parents were imprisoned because of 'treason'.<p>

"My father died protecting my mother from a prison brawl. His wounds became infected. My mother died from sickness." Lelouch now looked at the girl with pity and compassion.

"I'm...sorry."

She smiled weakly. "You know what happened in the end? Everyone died. All the civilians that went. And the rest of the city just went to ruin. There was no food. No water. No nothing. But luckily, Euphie and her sister found me, and helped to get me adopted. Miracles really do happen, huh, Lelouch?"

"Yeah. They really do."

* * *

><p>"Bye, Evie!" Nunnally said, smiling.<p>

"Where're you going after this?" Lelouch asked.

"Nowhere. See you around, Lelouch! Bye, Nunnally."

"Bye, Evie." Lelouch pulled her into a chaste hug.

"Bye."

It didn't take a while for Evie to get to the courthouse, because she hailed a cab outside of the Ashford residence and even got there five minutes early, to her small pride. She had promised to meet Suzaku after his court-martial earlier in the day.

"Call me Euphie." Evie was seated on a bench, and she could hear Euphie's voice from a mile away. Evie hurried to where she had heard Euphie's voice.

It had appeared Suzaku and Euphie had met after his court-martial. Evie had never told Suzaku details about Euphie, or that she was attending.

Could it be? Did Suzaku mistake Euphie for non-royalty? Was he taking her on a date? Evie rushed towards the voice. Her suspicions were confirmed. Suzaku was walking with Euphie, casually talking to her as if he had known her forever.

"Ok, Euphie-"

The pink-haired girl was suddenly on the ground, pawing the air in sync to a stray cat.  
>"Meow! Meow! Meow!"<p>

Evie could feel tears stinging her eyes. Was Suzaku...interested in her? More so than Evie?

Euphie held the cat up. "Look, Suzaku! Isn't he cute!" He smiled.

"Yeah." Suzaku held a finger out, only to be bitten by the cat. "Ow!"

These small, inconsequential moments were killing Evie from the inside. She began to panic. Her priceless years with Suzaku were quickly spiraling down the drain in the mere span of five minutes. If Suzaku had fallen in love with Euphie...then Evie had been mistaken all of this time.

"So do you have any trouble with cats?" Euphie asked.

"I like them fine. However, the attraction isn't mutual."

"I think unrequited love is the sign of a kind person." They continued to talk and walk with each other as Evie walked behind them.

Evie took care to listen carefully and follow the couple inconspicuously. It was easier to blend in because Evie had left her hair down and had worn slightly more formal clothing than usual for the earlier occasion. Suzaku and Euphie, all wrapped up in each other's company, wouldn't recognize her.

Suzaku was surprisingly good at small talking someone and Euphie seemed to be having a good time. She dragged Suzaku onwards for her own personal tour of Japan, even stopping by the crepe stand to get crepes.

"The nerve..." Evie thought as Suzaku paid for Euphie's crepe.

She posed in front of the clothing store, causing Suzaku to laugh and Evie to groan. Euphie was so spontaneous and kind and nice-but for some reason, all of that was amplified beyond measures when she was with Suzaku.

Evie was getting tired of walking so slowly behind the couple, so when they paused for a little while, she walked ahead of them, just narrowly getting on the other side of the road before the crosswalk sign turned red. She stood there, in silent agony. This was much harder than she expected.

* * *

><p>"What a weird day," Lloyd remarked from inside his truck.<p>

"First we see Suzaku with the Princess, and now we see Evie?" Cecile asked.

"I think that's her. But her hair is different. It's too hard to tell."

"Poor Evie. Suzaku's smitten with the Princess."

"What a case of cruel irony," Lloyd said. "How cruel..."

* * *

><p>"What're you staring at, Suzaku?" Euphie asked. "That girl?"<p>

"Um...no." Suzaku managed to say.

"I can't blame you," Euphie said. "She's really pretty."

"Yeah." Suzaku admitted, previously scared of offending Euphie.

Evie could hear Suzaku and Euphie talking about her. She didn't know what they were saying, but she could feel their eyes on her back. It...just hurt too much...

"She seems familiar...I can't place my finger on it, though," Euphie remarked. "Oh well."

Tears welled up in Evie's eyes. She shed only a few tears, but enough to make her walk off and abandon her stakeout.

Suzaku could have Euphie.

As long as he was happy.


	8. Chapter 7: A Conflicted Promise

Until she heard that they were going to Shinjuku Ghetto. She just had to make sure nothing bad happened.

She started to run faster to beat them to the ghetto. Then her phone started ringing, so she answered it and continued to run.

"Who is this?"

"It's Lloyd."

"Lloyd! What's wrong?"

"We've been following you guys. What's wrong? Why're you running?"

"They're going to Shinjuku Ghetto and I have to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Turn the corner. We're in a truck. Since you think something's wrong, we'll get you there before they do. I can't have anything happen to Lancelot's pilot, now, can I?"

Evie dashed around the corner and found herself in front of a green truck. She eyed it nervously.

"Is this the right truck?" she wondered aloud.

"Get in the truck, Corporal," Lloyd called from inside the truck.

"Coming, Lloyd!" she popped open the door and sat down in the back, next to Cecile.

"So why do you think something's going to happen?" Lloyd asked. "Just curious."

"I don't know. Shady people hang out there."

"By shady people, you mean the Elevens." Evie glared at him.

"No. I mean gangster Britannians, Lloyd. I'm not racist. The Britannians usually laugh at the Japanese, and Euphie and Suzaku wouldn't stand for that kind of stuff. They might start a fight or something."

He laughed.

"Knowing you, you wouldn't stand for that kind of stuff either."

Evie stared at the ground. "Well, I need to make sure the Princess is ok, right?" The truck came to a stop.

"Well, we're here, Corporal. If anything happens, we've got the Lancelot and the Sutherland in the back."

Evie saw Britannians taking pictures of the wasteland that used to be Japan. Evie was scowling at the Britannians when she saw Suzaku and Euphie arrive at the ghetto. Another man who was Japanese also rushed in.

The Japanese man and the Britannians began to fight. Evie got up from her seat, but Cecile pushed her down onto the seat.

"Evie, are you going to blow your cover?" Evie opened her mouth to ask how Cecile and Lloyd knew she was following Suzaku, but then realized that they were following Suzaku from the court-martial, explaining how Lloyd saw her running.

"No," Evie admitted. So she watched the battle until Suzaku stepped into the fray to calm things down. The Japanese then hit Suzaku and called him a traitor.

"Kururugi is a lot of things, but he's not a traitor," Evie said. Suzaku executed a military style move, flipping the arrogant man over onto his back, causing him to walk away and leave. "Shows him right."

The Britannians began talking, but Evie was too far away to hear anything. However, whatever he said was potent enough to make the princess slap him across the face.

"My, my," Lloyd said. "Has she always been like this?"

"She's been saucy at times," Evie said.

"I see."

Clanging and the sound of gunshots interrupted their conversation.

"What the heck? Where's that coming from?" Evie asked.

"I don't know. Let's go check it out," Lloyd replied, steering the truck in the direction of the fighting.

Several mechas were battling in a pit-like area.  
>"Looks like Jeremiah is in quite the pickle," Lloyd commented. Evie looked wistfully at the battle scene. Though she didn't care much for the current Acting-Consul of Japan, she wanted to prove herself to her new bosses.<p>

"Can I go out there? Please? You said you had the Sutherland in the back!"

"Fine," Lloyd said. "Pop open the door and tell Suzaku we have the Lancelot. Just bring Jeremiah and Suzaku back alive." Evie pulled her hair back up into a ponytail and took her coat off, hoping the small changes would stop Suzaku from remembering her from earlier.

Evie opened the door and stepped onto the dry, cracked ground. Looking for Suzaku, she felt her stomach do a somersault. She didn't know why was was so nervous about talking to him. Upon seeing him, she tapped his shoulder.

"Kururugi, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, we have the Lancelot." Before he could respond, she dragged him into the truck.

"What? Where?" Suzaku stuttered.

"You'd better go help Jeremiah," Lloyd added.

"Can I come too?" Evie asked.

"Sure thing. Have fun, you two. The frames are in the back." Lloyd tossed the two their keys.

Gripping the key to the Sutherland, Evie began to speak. "S-So how did the court martial go?"

"Good. They aquitted me because of a lack of evidence."

"That's good," Evie mumbled, stepping past the threshold to where the Knightmare were stored.

"Don't get hurt," Suzaku reminded. "And don't push yourself."

Fighting the anger in her stomach, Evie nodded futilely. "Sure thing."

After the two stepped out into the battlefield, the other Knightmares reacted in no time at all.

The Sutherland's and Lancelot's internal monitors flashed to life.

"I'll go get Jeremiah. Can you cover me?" Suzaku asked.

"Sure thing."

As Suzaku was fighting the other frames to go rescue Jeremiah, a stray swipe of a lance made its way to the Lancelot.

"Not on my watch," Evie muttered. She dove in front of the Lancelot, taking the full force of the blow. The leg of the Sutherland sizzled in agony. "Crap." The frame that dealt the crippling blow turned to face the Sutherland.

"Evie! Get out of there!" Suzaku yelled.

"Shut up! No!"

The broken leg of the Sutherland proved a useful weakness as the enemy continually swung at the other standing leg. Evie tried to block its swings with her lance, but it proved to be of no avail, as the other frame was stronger. Giving up, Evie shot out the Slash Harkens to the enemy's head. He swiftly dodged them-and gave Evie enough time to back up and escape.

"Kururugi! Euphie just ran into the battlefiel-"

One of the Knightmares threw out a blazing green object that exploded in midair.

"EVIE, GET BEHIND ME!" Suzaku screamed into the monitor. "Protect Euphie!"

Evie dashed behind the Lancelot and in front of the pink-haired girl. The Lancelot's shield blocked the blows from the Chaos Mine, the iridescent green beams of light scattering in the light of sunset.

When the debris had cleared, Princess Euphemia li Britannia ran out into the fray and commanded everyone to put their weapons down while her friends stared back at her in horror. The sparring mechas immediately ceased their conflict.

Evie and Suzaku simultaneously clambered out of their mechas in a collective sigh of relief. "Euphie! What were you thinking?" Evie asked in dismay. "You could have gotten killed!"

Suzaku's green eyes had widened at Euphie's sudden proclamation as he knelt to the ground.

The other warriors exited their mechas as well, and kneeled on the dirt. "Oh, I forgot," Evie whispered to Euphie.

"You're my sister. There's no need for you to kneel." Evie looked at Suzaku, who was on his knees, and smirked triumphantly, and he in turn smiled and rolled his eyes.

The mercenaries fled the scene soon after, and Suzaku got up off of his knees. "Princess...I had no idea." Euphie smiled warmly.

"Don't treat me any different just because I'm a princess." The princess then turned to face both of them. "Both of you, can you promise me something?" Euphie asked.

"Anything," Evie and Suzaku said in unison.

"Can you both try to help me make things better? No more fighting, no more war. Can you?"

"Yes."


	9. Chapter 8: Bent or Brokenhearted

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Euphie had gone out to the Kawaguchiko Convention Center Hotel in disguise, and Evie was left in the palace at Euphie's command.

"It's alright," she had said. "I'm in disguise! No one will be able to see me. I'm just listening to a conference. Stay home and relax. You've done enough this week already."

"But...but," Evie had protested.

"This is a command. Stay home." Euphie smiled and exited the building.

Evie sighed in content at the recollection of the memory. She wondered how Euphie was doing. Moreover, she wondered what Suzaku was doing. It was only 8 in the morning and there was nothing for her to do.

_Ring_  
>Evie snapped the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"<p>

"Evie? Hey! Good morning," Suzaku chimed. Evie's stomach backflipped at the sound of his voice.

"Hi, Kururugi! What's up?"

"Nothing. I just came to remind you that today's in-service."

"What?"

"You have to be in uniform and ready to report in half an hour. Remember?"

"Oh! Crud, I knew I had forgotten something."

"It's fine. Even though you're piloting a Sutherland for the time being, Lloyd and Cecile told me that you're still in the R and D sector. They don't mind you being a little late."

"Okay then. I'll see you in a few," Evie said, closing the phone and getting off of the couch in her room. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail, suited up in her Knightmare uniform, and left the palace.

Once she arrived at the base, she discovered that Suzaku and the others weren't there. In fact, almost no one was at the base. She took out her phone and dialed Suzaku's number.

"Kururugi? Where are you?"

"We're at the Kawaguchiko Convention Center Hotel-."

"What the? Why?"

"It appears that Japanese terrorists have initiated a hostile takeover. We can't do anything, though."

"Why?"

"We're treated as irregulars. We can't go in yet."

"Kururugi, Euphie's at the hotel!"

"What?" The panic was evident in his voice.

"Ugh. I'll be there ASAP," a clearly frustrated Evie muttered. She hung up and boarded the train to the hotel.

The minute she stepped off of the train, she saw Suzaku, Cecile, and Lloyd.

"Guys?"

"We don't have anything better to do, so we figured that we'd come and greet you at the train station," Lloyd said nonchalantly, cleaning his glasses.

"It's best we get to the hotel as fast as possible. They might need a talented Sutherland pilot to go in before we send Lancelot out," Cecile pointed out.

"Oh. The terrorists are serious, aren't they?" Evie asked, frowning.

"There seems to be a supply of Sakuradite underneath the hotel. We don't know what the terrorists are going to do with it, but they seem to really want it," Cecile said.

"Euphie's in the hotel. She wanted to go to a conference or something. I'm really worried about her."

"Even more reason to hurry there!" Lloyd said, taking off in the direction of the hotel. The three soldiers quickly followed behind him.

* * *

><p>Panting, the four stopped at a grassy bank near the towering hotel.<p>

"They've taken hostages," Lloyd suddenly announced.

"No!" Evie cried. "And we still can't do anything about it?"

"Not until we get the order," Suzaku said solemnly. "Maybe you'll get to go. Her Majesty Cornelia treats us differently than you."

"If we really want this to end, we have to stop the discrimination first," Evie mumbled to herself.

"Evie! Evie!" Cecile cried from inside the trailer.

"What? What happened?"

"You've been ordered to try and attack the hotel's foundation through an underground tunnel. The Knightmare will brief you on the mission. Just get ready," Cecile said excitedly, tossing Evie the key.

"Good luck out there. Stay safe," Suzaku reminded her.

"I can't guarantee that, now can I?" Evie replied. "Euphie's in there."

Evie climbed into her familiar Sutherland, running her fingers along the cool, dark metal. It glowed to life and begun to brief the young pilot on her mission.

"Your mission is to attack the hotel's foundation," the mechanical voice started. The visual depicted a tunnel running underground and ending at a series of a few pillars. "These pillars must be demolished in order to send the hotel down. The hostages are located in a food storage room and will sink down to about the water level where they will be rescued."

Lloyd's voice then came onto the intercom. "The problem is a group of terrorists within the lifeline tunnel. They have some kind of cannon down there. It's obliterated the other frames."

"So it's impossible to really complete the mission, huh?"

"If you fail, Her Highness will most likely resort to ulterior means of taking out the terrorists. So, no, it's not impossible yet. Good luck."

"Okay then," Evie said nervously. "Sutherlands don't really have good evasion at all."

"And you're not equipped with anything either. It's more or less of a suicide mission-"

"Lloyd!" Cecile's dismayed scolding echoed on the intercom. "Evie, don't be afraid to eject. We have Lancelot, who is better equipped for this mission and can save Euphie. We can't afford to lose one of our best pilots, but it's Her Majesty's order. Again, do not be afraid to eject. That's an order."

"Yes, Cecile."

"Okay. Sutherland launch in ten...nine..." As Cecile counted down, Evie's sweaty palms gripped the controls of her mecha, awaiting launch. The Sutherland was lowered through a hatch and into the tunnel.

"Sutherland launch!" The purple mecha spun out into the dim lifeline tunnel, where the first thing Evie laid eyes on was the gigantic cannon obstructing the way. The iridescent glow from the eye of the cannon began to increase in intensity.

"Shit," Evie muttered as she tried to angle herself in a position where she could miss the first shot.

"FIRE!" a terrorist manning the cannon yelled. Evie swiftly dodged the first volley of shots, much to her relief.

"I might as well try," Evie said, pulling out a gun. She began to fire as the cannon reloaded. The bullets quickly deflected off of the enemy's vessel and almost ricocheted back to hit Evie's mecha. She quickly dropped the gun and tried to press her frame against the wall to deflect the incoming wave of shrapnel.

The next volley of shots followed quickly. The projectiles fired from it had a larger caliber and were moving faster than the former. The bulky Sutherland managed to evade the first two pieces of debris, but the third, fourth, and fifth hit the Sutherland straight in the chest.

"Crap!" Evie cried, hearing the telltale fizzle of the machine's circuits. "I have to eject, I have to eject..." she thought frantically as her eyes scanned the panel for the eject button. Evie pushed the bright red button, and she quickly slid out the back of the machine, hoping to get away in time before the next few shots.

She landed heavily on the tunnel floor and heard a sharp crack, causing her to cry out in pain. "Damn...my ankle," she grunted. She crawled away as quickly as she could to the opening of the tunnel, the small pricks of light being her only hope at the moment. It seemed like she would have to crawl a mile until she reached the end of the tunnel. Every second, it seemed to get hotter and hotter inside the tunnel, and the friction between her dragging ankle and the ground was almost burning her. The upper hatch of the tunnel opened as the next wave of shots was fired. The Sutherland took every one of them.

A rope ladder was lowered down, which Evie attempted to climb. Her lame ankle continued to get tangled up in the coarse rope.

"Evie, what happened? Are you okay?" a concered voice asked from above.

"Kururugi? Yeah, I'm fine. I-I just broke my ankle, I think." She tried to hoist herself up on the rope further before crying out in pain again.

"Oh! Let me pull you up," he answered. She was quickly pulled up from the tunnel and onto the soft grass.

"Are you hurt?" Cecile asked. "We heard the mecha get hit, and we tried to open the hatch as quickly as possible and get you out of there."

"I'm curious about their cannon," Lloyd said. "What was it like?"

"Before that, let's get your ankle fixed up," Cecile interjected, dragging Evie into the trailer.

"I'm so glad you got out in time," Suzaku said, pulling Evie into a warm hug. Her face quickly flushed red.

"Now, now, Warrant Officer," Cecile joked and pulled Evie away. "Evie's ankle takes priority."

"I forgot you got promoted to Warrant Officer, Kururugi!" Evie said, weakly laughing. She sat on the edge of a table while Cecile looked for treatment.

"Finally," Suzaku added. Cecile began to wrap Evie's ankle in gauze.

"We'll get this professionally treated later, but this will have to do."

"Thanks, Cecile."

"No problem. Now all we have to do is wait for another order. Hopefully Lancelot can save the hostages before something more serious happens..." Cecile turned her gaze towards the hotel.

"I will try my best," Suzaku replied, bringing his hand to his forehead in a salute.

"I'm sure you will, Kururugi," Evie said, rolling her eyes at the gesture. "Cecile, I'm sorry I couldn't do more. That was terrible."

"It's not your fault, Evie," Cecile said reassuringly. "Let's get back outside, just in case Her Highness calls for Lancelot." Evie nodded.

"Need a hand?" Suzaku asked, outstretching his arm and smiling. Evie began to feel butterflies again, despite his date with Euphie and her creeping suspicion that he liked the princess more than a friend. She smiled back in spite of herself, and took his hand.

With her arm slung over his shoulder, a hobbled Evie and a grinning Suzaku walked back to the grassy bank. Not long after, the trio heard a high pitched squeal from Lloyd.

"Thank you, Your Highness ~~ Warrant Officer, Her Highness has called for you!"

"Really?" Suzaku asked.

"Go suit up, Kururugi! I'm counting on you," Evie said, shoving Suzaku towards the trailer.

"Ok, ok!"

* * *

><p>After Suzaku had bade his goodbyes, he clambered into the Lancelot, which was hooked up to the same lowering device as Evie's Sutherland.<p>

"Good luck!" Evie shouted, hoping he would hear it. Half of her wished he would fail like she had, but the other half wanted him to succeed and be safe.


End file.
